48th Post: 50LessonsFr50Yrs: How to Lose Weight

Lesson #48: How to Lose Weight

There are a BAZILLION experts on this subject, but from my perspective, it's really SUPER SIMPLE:

EAT LESS, MOVE MORE

These four words contain the only formula that I know (at least for my body) that ACTUALLY WORKS!

I *KNOW* it, but it's much harder ACTUALLY DOING IT or motivating myself to STICK TO IT! I will follow the formula for about a week, see some progress and then SLACK OFF....WHAT IS WRONG with ME??

Here's evidence that it works (see my blog from 10 years ago when I lost 20 POUNDS), and while I was 40 at the time and my body is probably even more obstinate ten years later, I know this is WHAT I MUST DO...JUST need to DIG WAY DEEP DOWN and DO IT!!

Here are a few pins from my "Living Healthy" Pinterest board - i really should re-visit these more often!!

47th Post: 50LessonsFr50Yrs: Don't forget Your Ears

Lesson #47: Don't forget to put sunscreen on your ears!

Simple, but VERY IMPORTANT lesson...when your ears get sunburned it really REALLY hurts...not that sunburn on other parts of your body don't hurt, but many people forget this.

I grew up going to the pool and beach and we used BABY OIL to "deepen" our tans!  I had my fair share of HORRIBLE sunburns in my teens and now I will probably pay for it dearly.  (but I'm kind of scared to go to the dermatologist).

Most young people today are raised to understand the dangers of too much sun exposure. THANK GOODNESS!

46th Post: 50LessonsFr50Yrs: Pick Your Battles (Audra)

Lesson #46: Pick Your Battles Wisely


One of the advantages of having a best friend who is smart, kind, laid-back and majored in Psychology, is that she has attempted for nearly 30 years to teach me not to get all upset about EVERY LITTLE THING! She is always trying to teach me that everything is NOT a battle and you need to be very careful about which battles I should truly care about and engage.

I still struggle with this lesson, but I always hear Audra's voice calmly trying to calm me down.

I get too upset over so many issues in this world (gun violence, suicide, the disgustingly dumb President, bullying, mean girls, low priorities for education and people at risk, the environment, etc, etc). I have to remember that I cannot fix it all and concentrate on what I CAN fix. And to not allow myself to stress-out and make myself sad and ill.

45th Post: 50Lessonsfr50Years: not relevant

My #45th lesson is: If you try to understand other people's drama as "normal" then you are wasting your time. AND STOP judging people when you don't FUCKING know what is really happening in their lives!!!

Most people think their drama is soooooooooooo FREAKING MAJOR...


....but if they really knew and understood the depth of what OTHER PEOPLE have to ACTULLY LIVE THROUGH (but they don't let you know b/c they want to spare the world of their burden and ACTUALLY have some CLASS), then they would be so EMBARRASSED!!

GET OVER YOURSELVES -- NOW!! 

The world is NOT REVOLVING AROUND YOU!

44th Post: 50Lessonsfr50YRS - not enough

Lesson #44: can't do it all

Yep, you Can NOT do it all. You will never satisfy everyone and even when you try, people (even those closest to you) will not appreciate your effort.

can't say much else or i may offend someone 

43rd Post: 50Lessonsfr50YRS: Ute Prayer Trees

So I thought I had posted about this on the blog, but it was only on FB....

Lesson #43:  Ute Prayer Trees are beautiful cultivated trees that I have found around my neighborhood that I just discovered the meaning of in March 2017.

Here's what I said on FB:

"MIND BLOWN: I've noticed the trees on my neighborhood hike these past 3 years were interesting, but now I learned today about the Ute Indian Prayer Trees at Fox Run Regional Park"

Then I went out to take a bunch of pictures and posted a great little video by someone who has studied and explained the origin of these trees in Fox Run Park near us: https://youtu.be/3LkYQbcnlkE

42nd Post: 50Lessonsfr50YRS: Jealous of Academics

ACK - I HAVE 50 DAYS til my deadline to post 50 Lessons I've Learned in 50 Years BEFORE I TURN 51 on June 24th!!

So here's a short one, that I may come back to later (but I promised myself that I am going to exercise 30 minutes EVERY DAY til I leave for camp in about 5 weeks....and my window on today is closing as I have other things to tend to):

Lesson #42: I've learned that I am JEALOUS, LIKE REALLY REALLY JEALOUS of people whose career path basically means they get to read, research, ponder, learn and write about very interesting topics. 

I review the CV's (curriculum vitae) of university professors and I think:

"WOW, how do they have time to write all that great stuff?!?!?"

I only have time to ZIP off simple shit like this blog entry. Not researched, just junk from my head.

What sparked this today? This great article I read in Harpers by Fred Turner (Harry and Norman Chandler Professor of Communication at Stanford University) from January (magazine was sitting on my shelf for months...): 

Machine Politics: The rise of the internet and a new age of authoritarianism

Fav Quote from article: Computer-supported interconnection is simply no substitute for face-to-face negotiation, long-term collaboration, and the hard work of living together."

More later on this later...maybe...!?!?

EIGHT MORE LESSONS TO GO....

41st Post: 50Lessonsfr50YRS: "I will do ANYTHING for you" is BULLSHIT

lesson #41: MOST ppl really don't give a darn about anyone else, but themselves and their STUPID OFFERS to call them b/c "they would do "ANYTHING" you need, just name it" is HORSESHIT!!!!

So this is pretty dark and negative on my part, but I have learned that there are about 1-2 PERCENT of all the people I know you who ACTUALLY, *REALLY* FREAKING CARE about me and want to know me through and through -- LIKE REALLY KNOW me and willing to listen and live through the good, the bad, the ugly WITH ME.

Generally, people don't want to deal with other people's feelings b/c they can't even take/understand their OWN feelings.

I can count on ONE hand the people who I can rely upon to listen, show an interest, and ask follow up questions (about stuff that I may have brought up a while ago, but may still be important to me, but they are responsive enough and *CARE* enough to ask) and are willing to stick with me NO MATTER FUCKING WHAT...

These people are a TRUE blessing....

....and the others who say they care and say SHIT like "I will do anything for you, just tell me" --- as for them, I become REALLY GET PISSED OFF when I call to redeem that "ANYTHING coupon", and they say "Well, I can't do that right now b/c blaah blah blah ... fill in the blah" BECAUSE I KNOW it really means 'NOT THAT thing..but what else?' OR what REALLY REALLY PISSES ME OFF is they OFFER some dumb other solution that is CONVENIENT FOR THEM, but NOT  helpful or even CLOSE to what I NEEDED!  (but, of course, was all they were willing to do or could do)

Apparently what is happening in their life takes precedence over what they originally promised in that FALSE, STUPID "Anything you need" statement earlier that made THEM feel GOOD and IMPORTANT! 

I JUST WANT TO YELL "PLEASE tell me what your initial DECLARATION previous of "ANYTHING" meant??????????????????????????"

#40 of 50Lessonsfr50YRS: How to Make Collins Pizza

Well this is really a CHEAT post, as it was posted several years ago, but since I am documenting some VERY IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS

....and I still have NINE more to go after this one, I am going to cheat!

#40 of 50Lessonsfr50YRS: How to Make Collins Pizza

Go to this link: https://sheilasjumpinoff.blogspot.com/2009/06/pizza-inspired-by-dad-and-fk.html

SPECIAL THANKS to life-long friend, Kevin Garrison for making up these cool postcards when Dad died in 2009!  See flip side when you follow link above for the Pizza POST!